ARM TechCon has consistently ranked among the top electronics trade shows in terms of importance, and 2013 is proving no exception. With its theme Where Intelligence Connects, the conference is not only getting its attendees thoroughly prepared for the emerging Internet of Things (IoT) trend, it is connecting the many other technologies and application spaces that ARM technology empowers. We'll be having a live chat the day after the show to discuss everything that happened and what it all means.

There certainly is plenty happening. ARM itself made several key announcements relating to the IoT as the show opened. The company revealed a report by the Economist Intelligence Unit surveying top companies about the IoT, showing that now more than three-quarters of the world's top companies are actively researching opportunities in the IoT. Nearly a third see this as a disruptive trend that will provide new revenue opportunities as well as alter the way they do business.

In support of that interest, ARM has thrown its weight behind the mbed development platform as an IoT design enabler. Further, it has entered into a partnership with Nordic Semiconductor to accelerate the development of Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) to bring connectivity to battery powered devices.

The company has also expanded its community support structure for all its application areas with an upgraded ARM Connected Community. The ARM architecture covers a wide range of cost/performance points, and the architecture's many supporters represent many application areas. From low-power IoT devices to high-performance servers and routers, wireless modules to smartphones, the full range of ARM's more than 1,000 partners will be supported by ARM as well as by community interaction.

That's just ARM itself. Other news and new product announcements made or featured at the show include:

So you see there is a lot happening at the show, and there will be a lot to digest and discuss. Join the EETimes editors as well as your peers to discuss the show, its news, and the implications at our live chat, Friday, November 1, 9 a.m. PT: The ARM TechCon Wrap-Up. If you attended, it will be a great way to put into perspective what you saw there. If you weren't able to make it, it's a great way to pick the brains of those who did.

A late-breaking news item to add to the list: Freescale announced that the One Box platform it developed with ARM and Oracle (and debuted at Java One) will additionally support the smart grid and telehealth IoT service markets. The One Box platform is a gateway reference design and cloud software support that simplifies IoT device development by providing an open, standards-based set of hardware and services that developers can apply to their own projects. Here's a more detailed story at Embedded.com.